The room was dark, the curtains drawn tight. Erika sat on her bed, knees hugged to her chest, her face half-buried in her arms.
Akira and his family had already left the country, and he didn't even come to say goodbye. According to what her brother said, they wouldn't see each other for a few years, and not even a text or phone call would be allowed.
But she also knew that if they did meet, she would lose control, just like she did before.
That new Sacred Gear, Lunar Vow, the one that saved him, was also the reason they could no longer be near each other.
And not just that… she had drunk his blood.
Even though it was to save him, she still couldn't forgive herself. What if Akira didn't want to be friends with her anymore? What if he hated her now? What if drinking his blood had changed the way he saw her?
Even though she knew Akira probably wouldn't think like that… she couldn't stop worrying.
She couldn't see him anymore.
First, she had to erase Haruna's memories.
Now, she had lost Akira, too.
In just one day, she had lost all her friends. And now, she was all alone again.
As those thoughts swirled through her mind, the door to her room quietly opened, and her big brother, Iori, stepped inside.
"How long are you planning to sulk in here like this?" Iori's voice broke the silence.
"Go away," Erika muttered, not even looking at him.
Iori leaned against the doorframe. "Alright then. If you don't want Akira's goodbye letter, I'll just leave."
Erika's head shot up. "Wait, what letter!?"
He smirked. "Now you want to talk." He held out an envelope. "Akira gave this to me before they left for the Netherworld. Told me to deliver it to you personally."
Erika bolted off the bed and snatched the envelope with both hands.
Her hands trembled as she tore it open and began to read.
To Erika,
There are so many things I want to say, yet not enough time to write them all down, so I will keep things brief, with only the important ones.
First things first, thank you for saving me.
I know how hard it must have been for you to drink my blood, but you still did it to save my life. I won't go on and on about how I'll be forever grateful and all because we're friends. You had my back, and wherever you are, in any kind of danger, I'll always have yours too.
But I do want to say sorry for not keeping my promise to always protect you, for not being there for you when you had to erase Haruna's memories, and for leaving without saying goodbye in person.
I never wanted things to end up like this, but sometimes life is like this; nothing ever goes as we want, but I still owe you an apology.
I may not have been able to keep my promise of protecting you completely before, but that said, I do have some new promises to make.
First, don't worry about the Sacred Gear. I'll figure it out, no matter how long it takes. I'll find a way to cancel out the side effects, so when we meet again, your bloodlust won't get in the way. We'll be able to go back to how things were. I promise.
And we're still going to high school together. That hasn't changed. After all, everyone knows the coolest things happen in high school in most anime. We're not missing that arc, and we might meet a lot of new friends, and who knows, we might even meet all those girls we met at the park, too. That's how most stories go anyway.
Until then, don't be sad. Smile. Make new friends. I'll be back before you know it. It will just be like a time skip. Just wait for me, I will be back.
P.S.
This letter was definitely not written with the help of Google. Absolutely all-original content, also… I've been dying to ask you how my blood tasted. I know it's kind of heartless to ask, but then again, I technically don't have a heart, right? Anyway, tell me next time we meet. I'm genuinely curious.
Until then,
Akira
Erika smiled as she finished reading the letter, a small laugh slipping out.
"He's really the same…" she thought, holding the letter close.
All her dark thoughts worrying her are all blown away by this one letter, but at the same time, Erika couldn't help but think how weak she was, that she still needed to be saved by Akira even now.
"You done sulking?" Iori asked half-teasingly, seeing her smiling.
Erika looked up at him, her expression calm but determined. "Oni San… teach me how to fight. And use magic."
Iori raised an eyebrow, "You want to learn magic? You've never been interested in that stuff."
Erika didn't look away. "I want to become stronger."
For a moment, Iori blinked in surprise, but then, a knowing smile curved across his face. "I see, but you know… Akira's strong. And he's only going to get stronger. You might not be able to catch up enough to protect him."
"I know," Erika said softly. "But… if I can at least protect myself, then he won't have to worry about me."
She still remembers that Akira only got hurt because he had to protect them, and she doesn't want to become a burden again.
Iori nodded. "I see, but it won't be easy."
"I don't mind," Erika said firmly. "When we meet again… I want to be strong."
As she looked out the window at the starry night sky as she held the letter close once more.
"Till we meet again… Akira."